


Do You Think The Burning Sensation Is Ominous At All?

by PoisonHemloc



Category: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (Video Game)
Genre: (one gamefowl harmed in the writing of this), Everyone lives!AU, Gen, I am making the call that the Divine Child is named Mizuho so be aware, honestly this is bullying genichiro: the fic with added issues from missing a limb, if you're reading this on an app an not ao3 they're making money off my work so. dont., non graphic animal death, phantom limb syndrome, some discussion of pain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-14
Updated: 2019-10-14
Packaged: 2020-12-15 20:09:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21023801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PoisonHemloc/pseuds/PoisonHemloc
Summary: Wolf is dealing with Phantom Limb Syndrome and Genichiro harassing his kids. Two birds, one stone.





	Do You Think The Burning Sensation Is Ominous At All?

**Author's Note:**

> Major thank you to StrayLiger who is the reason this was written so quickly rather than languishing on the back burner while I focused on a different fic. I don't think I'm breaking my eight pages in six hours during a power outage record anytime soon.
> 
> Also thank you to Altairattorney who let me know what we're calling the Divine Child because seriously, the poor gal needed a name.

Wolf paused in the outskirts of Ashina, looking up towards the castle. He’d been looking for a Lotus flower where the fountainhead water pooled; he believed he had found the location, currently guarded by the largest ape he had ever seen, and wanted to check in with Lord Kuro. Doubtless the ape would attack him like like everything else in the Sunken Valley; if the fight went wrong, he did not want his lord pacing worried for several days before he managed to resurrect from being eaten. If he could resurrect from being eaten. He was not sure, and had no desire to find out.

He brought his left arm back to grapple up to a rooftop and stopped, scowling, as the sensation that his arm was on fire started again. It didn’t matter that most of the arm was gone, decomposing in the silver grass field outside the Ashina reservoir if it hadn’t been eaten by wild dogs; his body thought it was was present and apparently that he had stuck it in a fireplace.

He rubbed at what he could of the stump; what wasn’t covered by his armor was hidden by the prosthetic’s various pieces, holding the body of it on his arm, or the folded pieces of it that would let it expand or retract. The Sculptor had brought it in as much as he could, but Wolf doubted that Dogen had planned for someone a solid foot shorter than the Sculptor to ever use it.

The pain barely subsided. Gritting his teeth, Wolf grappled up to his chosen rooftop and knelt there to resume rubbing at the arm. He should talk to Emma about this. He did not want to talk to Emma about this. The arm was obviously gone; doctor or not she would think he was lying. Or delirious. As he looked for the next decoration that could conceivably take his weight, a thought struck him; the Sculptor. He had lost an arm as well; he might know why Wolf’s body thought the limb was attached and in pain. Wolf could talk to him after he let Lord Kuro know about the Lotus.

“Wolf. It’s good to see you.” This was not Kuro’s normal manner; he seemed upset, a far cry from his general serious but happy state of mind.

“My Lord? Are you alright?” Wolf knew that was probably too familiar of a question for a retainer to ask his lord, but something must have happened to dampen Kuro’s mood.

“Yes, just… Lord Genichiro was here earlier. I know he’s just trying to apologize for… everything before Lord Isshin got better, but he thinks offering to teach me archery is a good way to do that, and he is not very willing to hear no.” Kuro sighed. Mizuho, reading in the library, chose to speak up. “He has been trying to get _both_ of us to learn with him.” Two weeks before, when Wolf and Kuro had spent a week at Senpou Temple to avoid whatever breakdown Genichiro had gone through, she had decided to return to Ashina with them. Currently she was racing through the books in the library, overjoyed she finally could do something rather than talk to the other Divine Children or listen as the monks tried to find a way into the temple’s Inner Sanctum. “I only had the Mortal Blade in order to keep it safe; I doubt he understands that I do not wish to learn how to use a sword or a bow.”

“We will be fine, Wolf, please don’t frown like that. We just have to talk to Lord Isshin about it when he’s free. What about you? You were gone all day, did you find something?”

“I believe I found the lotus, my lord. The is a large ape that appears to be guarding it. I wished to warn you in case it takes a few days to return when I attempt to retrieve it.” _Since this might kill me too and we do not know what the limits are on the Dragon’s Heritage_ did not need to be said; Kuro was sure to be thinking about that as well.

“Very good, Wolf. I’m counting on you. We will be fine here; But if we are not here when you return, we may have retreated to the Moon View Tower to get away from Genichiro.” Wolf nodded, still frowning slightly. The pain in his arm had subsided, but he wanted to talk to the Sculptor before he dealt with the ape. He rose and went through the shinobi door hidden next to the library; he wasn’t sure how, but the small room it concealed held a door that opened to the Dilapidated Temple when logically, it really shouldn’t have. But it was the fastest way to get to the Sculptor.

Wolf entered the temple and knelt a little ways from the Sculptor. The retired shinobi did not look up from his carving and nor did he acknowledge Wolf for several minutes; Wolf was wondering the best way to ask about his arm when the pain flared up again. He scowled and started looking for the knots that tied it onto his arm when the retired shinobi finally started speaking.

“Pain in your left arm? It happens. It may start getting better after a few years but-” a grimace, and Wolf saw the muscles in his stump twitch- “it will not go away completely. Your body does not recognize that the arm is gone and makes up what it feels.” He raised an eyebrow at Wolf’s deepened frown. “It hurts but it reminds me of what happened. It keeps me grounded, away from Shura. I have no ill will towards Isshin for it.”

Wolf stayed silent. He had removed the prosthetic and was massaging his arm to help the pain subside. Sculptor had lost his arm to stop him losing himself, but Wolf had lost his arm to a noble trying to gain power by whatever means necessary in a desperate and ultimately totally useless bid to save his country. Part of him felt he did not have to have Sculptor’s level of calm forgiveness; between his aching arm and the knowledge that the man who had caused this was harassing his Lord and the Divine Child, Wolf stopped listening as the older shinobi began to talk about sake and quietly decided something should be done.

But not something big. There was currently a truce of sorts between the surviving Hirata lord and the Ashina clan; as the Hirata’s lone retainer, attacking Genichiro unprovoked was a sure way to bring Isshin’s wrath onto Lord Kuro and himself. Even being just being rude, outside what he was allowed to get away with as someone who was not sworn to Ashina, could cause problems. Anything he did to Genichiro was grounds to cause trouble for Lord Kuro.

If Genichiro found out it was him. That was the opening, the grounds to take revenge. Wolf had already taken revenge for his arm- he knew that, he remembered stabbing Genichiro through the side and the memory helped slightly when the pain flared- but he had not accounted for the continued pain or for the annoyance caused to his lord. If he was careful, he might be able to distract Genichiro for a few days to bring some relief to Lord Kuro and Mizuho while also punishing the lord for this repeating sensation that his arm was on fire.

Kuro… any further revenge on Genichiro would have to wait. His lord was depending on him to find the lotus and the stone, to sever himself from the Dragon’s Heritage. Wolf nodded to the Sculptor as he finished his long monologue on different herbs and their potential uses in sake; Wolf was totally unable to drink sake, and so resigned himself to the pain. He tied the prosthetic back on, glad that this alone of his things was made to be tied on one handed, and left the temple for the Sunken Valley.

Wolf was waiting, hidden on a rooftop just before sunrise, listening to the sounds inside. The ape had been fought, and he had not been eaten, despite the unpleasant discovery that it was infested, and the worse discovery that the centipede had forced it to run off before he could end its misery for good. The lotus had been found, but was awaiting recovery out of worry that it would wilt before Wolf found the fragrant stone that was also needed for the Fountainhead Aroma.

While he should have been looking for it around the Ashina Reservoir, on his return to Ashina Wolf had found Kuro and Mizuho not in their quarters, not in the Moon View Tower, but in some dusty old building that looked like it had once been the Nightjar Ninja’s quarters, judging by the loose feathers and occasional rusted shuriken scattered about. They had explained that it had been the only place so far where Genichiro had not found them in his misguided efforts to apologize.

So now, in what he had only told Lord Kuro was an effort to direct Genichiro somewhere else for a few days but was also a response to the burning pain in his arm, Wolf was waiting outside the Ashina lord’s room for him to leave for the day. He had not told Lord Kuro any details to his plan, except to assure him Genichiro should leave him alone for a few days, and to ask about the layout of the room; Lord Kuro had taken several books from Genichiro prior to Isshin’s illness being healed and he remembered where things were. Wolf himself did not really have a plan, besides break in find something that would drive Genichiro to stay in his room for several days.

“Lord Genichiro! We have some supply issues with several of the northern villages to discuss today,” It was some random retainer, prattling on about their itinerary. Genichiro was still recovering from using the Rejuvenating Sediment, which meant he was being locked in his room at night and accompanied everywhere during the day, not that it had helped Lord Kuro.

Wolf waited as the retainer led Genichiro away for matters of the country and ensuring he was recovering properly from the Rejuvenating Sediment. Once they were gone, and the area had been quiet for several minutes, Wolf carefully opened the window using a flat piece of steel to shift the lockbar out of place like Owl had taught him.

It was a plain room, for a noble. Several chests, one noticeably smaller than the others, ran along one wall; a sleeping pallet laid at a corner of the room. Several wall decorations, a stand for his armor, and a different stand- currently empty- that probably was supposed to hold still-confiscated weapons, a low table. And bookshelves, floor to ceiling, but only two of them. Multiple books were missing; Wolf bit back a slight smile, guessing his lord had taken advantage of Genichiro being distracted to take more books than he would admit to.

But nothing he thought would work. There were too many books to carry away, though he assumed he could hide them around the room if no other option presented itself. He looked at the small table, and found it held what were presumably hygiene essentials. An actual razor, which seemed excessive to a shinobi who shaved with whatever bladed object he had, a hair comb, toothpicks, a horsehair toothbrush. Normal items, for a noble… except for the jar, painted with the same iris flowers that composed Ashina’s crest.

Wolf frowned as he removed the lid with his good arm, not trusting the prosthetic to hold either piece of it without breaking something. There was something vaguely liquid inside. Every horrible possibility for what the mystery liquid could be flashed through Wolf’s mind for a moment before he carefully sniffed at the lid and frowned; he recognized the smell, which was vaguely flowery and not anything his imagination had shown him. He put the lid down on the table and guardedly stuck a finger inside the jar, and sighed with relief when he realized what it was.

Oil. Not the kind he used, that was a useful aid in lighting enemies on fire, but normal oil. He sniffed at it again, trying to place the scent when it hit him; the man’s hair. He had smelt this fighting Genichiro, but only after the man had shed his armor and let his hair loose; Wolf had caught some of the smell every time he had darted in to try and force Genichiro’s posture to break. He had also smelt it the handful of times he’d been near the man since, but truce or not both hated each other and if they were that close Wolf was about to be “accidentally” shoved into a wall. For some reason the man must have liked having greasy hair and coated his head with this flowery concoction.

Wolf gave a mental shrug. He did not care what the Ashina lord did to himself as long as he left Lord Kuro alone- _and paid for his arm_\- he tried to ignore the quiet voice calling for revenge; it sounded like Owl. He may have only decided to take this route for revenge for the pain, but he was trying to focus on the benefit to Kuro and Mizuho. He went to replace the lid, when he suddenly realized why Genichiro must have been using it.

Wolf dug around in his bag for a moment; antidote powder smelled deceivingly like flowers and could hopefully serve as a replacement scent. The withered red gourd he had somehow brought with him from reawakening his memories of the Hirata raid was filled with a liquid that was a similar color and consistency to the oil in the jar, but once exposed to air it would evaporate within a few minutes.

His hair had stood on end just being near the lightning that Genichiro used, and even now, a month and a half of not using it later, the man still smelled faintly like that lightning. His hair was more than shoulder length; without the oil to tame it, the electricity must have made him look like a dandelion.

Wolf checked outside the window for lurking Nightjars, then emptied the jar and quickly mixed the antidote powder and red gourd’s waters inside. He replaced the lid, checked to make sure the room was just as he had found it, and slid out the window, relocking it the same way he had opened it.

“Wolf! It’s good to see you.” Lord Kuro and Mizuho were back in the Lookout Tower quarters, looking more cheerful than they had for several days. “We have not seen Lord Genichiro at all.” he added in a whisper. The previous day, while Wolf was switching his hair oil for gourd water, Genichiro had found the two children’s hiding place in the old shinobi quarters and had insisted that they return to the room below the lookout tower. He had not had time to do anything else; whatever retainer that was with him had insisted on checking something in the outskirts despite Genichiro’s opinion that it was not important enough for his attention. Wolf nodded, relieved, but his arm had already begun to flare up again. He had almost been grabbed by the ape because of the pain when he tried to grapple away; he clenched his teeth together in an effort to distract himself.

Kuro frowned, but before he could ask what was wrong, there was the sound of heavy footsteps in the distance, rapidly getting closer. He and Mizuho had planned for this; neither wanted to deal with Genichiro again and no matter his demeanor towards the Divine Heir and Divine Child, the Ashina lord still hated Wolf. The two children started to pull Wolf towards the panel currently hiding the shinobi door, but stopped when the footsteps went right past their room without stopping. A door slammed, near Genichiro’s room. A voice Wolf recognized as Jinsuke Saze was trying to talk.

“Lord Genichiro, it’s fine, we were just talking to soldiers today, you can just-”

“No. Someone was in here yesterday.”

“Your hair-”

“Is _like this_ because _someone broke into my room yesterday_.” Genichiro sounded angry; Wolf, on one hand and knee being held between the two children, wondered for a moment if he should take the blame if this caused Genichiro to relapse, but decided he would rather not face Isshin Ashina’s wrath. Kuro, still holding the prosthetic, had bitten down on the edge of his _kimono_; Mizuho was covering her mouth with the hand that had not been trying to drag him by his _obi_. Kuro caught Wolf’s eye and let go; as Wolf pulled himself back into a proper kneel he raised an eyebrow at Kuro’s quiet giggles, muffled by the _kimono_. His lord was grinning as he explained.

“It’s never good to laugh at someone’s misfortune, but he has been pestering us for over a week. Lord Genichiro came to visit Hirata several times between beginning to learn how to fight with lightning and someone finding out that oil stops the effects on his hair; it was much shorter then, so I can barely imagine how it looks now. Hopefully he will stay inside for a few days. Thank you, Wolf, but that should be it.”

Wolf sat on a half ruined building, rubbing at his arm. He knew he should not have been letting himself devise more inconveniences to place in Genichiro’s way, but every flare up of pain for the past two days saw him debating a new way to subtly ruin the man’s day, especially with how easy he knew it now was. He had resisted the urge so far, partially due to knowing that Kuro might disapprove but mainly knowing that if he was discovered, Kuro would take blame as well. He sighed and stood, intending to head back into the valley to check on the Lotus, when movement caught his eye.

Gamefowl. One of the extra large species Ashina was known for, a combination indiscriminate attack dog, alarm system and larder. This one was wandering around freely, which was generally discouraged due to their aggression; better to kill it now, quickly, before it injured someone.

He crept over, killed it painlessly, and let the body fall. He could drag it over to the kitchens in the lower part of Ashina Castle, labor that tended to be rewarded with a decent bowl of vegetables and rice, before he descended into the valley, but a gourd patch next to the scrawny bird caught his eye. Owl had once explained how to use raw meat and a tough hollow gourd to serve as a temporary distraction for guard dogs; Wolf entertained the idea of leaving something similar for Genichiro, mostly cooped up in his room until he had worked enough oil into his hair that it no longer stood on end.

No, though; Wolf did not need to continue poking at an already angry samurai who doubtless suspected his involvement already. His arm had not felt on fire that day; Wolf would just drag the fowl to the kitchen and be on his way.

He had gone three steps when a memory he had ignored at the time resurfaced. Two days after he had woken up, returning to the temple after scouting out the Outskirts, Hanbei and the Sculptor had been outside talking. Emma had not been present; now he knew she had been trying to rein in Isshin.

He had spent an irritating fifteen minutes prior to scouting finding out that the prosthetic arm, despite its many uses, could neither grasp well enough to hold cloth nor did it give him a good enough range of motion to use it tying knots. He had ended up redoing most of the knots on his belt holding _Kusabimaru_ in place as well as the smaller cords that kept the sleeves on his _haori_ out of the way so he could deal with them easily.

It has sounded like Hanbei was trying to convince the Sculptor to make a bet with him; knowing how antisocial the older shinobi tended to be, Wolf was not surprised that he had been ignoring the samurai and had practically jogged inside when Wolf showed him the shuriken wheel he had found.

He hadn’t been paying too much attention to what Hanbei had been saying at the time, but now Wolf realized he was trying to bet on how long it would be until Wolf followed the Sculptor in abandoning everything except his _kosode_ and _haramaki_. Sculptor had mostly abandoned his clothing shortly after he abandoned his shinobi ways and no longer needed cloth separating him and the armor, but also had stopped with the pieces that were the most difficult to tie on first.

Wolf stood very still for three seconds, staring at the prosthetic. He would have to talk to Hanbei about his jokes, preferably after stabbing him in the chest again. But Hanbei’s jokes were not the core of what was irritating him. Wolf doubled back and picked a large, elderly gourd that would hollow out easily.

Genichiro strode out from his room, following a retainer for something or other that was supposedly important; he was wearing normal clothing except for the _kabuto_ hiding his hair. Wolf had gotten lucky and only been hidden behind a seemingly abandoned screen for the last ten minutes; it probably belonged in one of the retainer’s quarters, but it fulfilled his needs. Before the retainer had suddenly arrived, he had been debating setting off firecrackers further down the hall to draw Genichiro out, but was reluctant due to both the damage it would cause and the knowledge that it would definitively pin him as the culprit. He silently thanked whoever had decided to force Genichiro to attend to something outside.

Within moments he had darted into the foolishly unlocked room and back out, a slightly cracked off-yellow gourd filled with raw bird sitting and leaking slightly on Genichiro’s floor. He could easily dispose of the rag he had used to keep the drips off the floor on the way here. The chef he had left most of the gamefowl with had been from the Hirata estate originally, and knew Wolf well enough keep silent on the bird’s source. Now he just needed to wash his hands and let Lord Kuro know he was intending to begin hunting for the fragrant stone.

Wolf had come and left, exploring the Ashina Reservoir in hopes that the well he had been thrown into held the secret to the fragrant stone’s location. Kuro and Mizuho remained in their upper tower room, reading and debating.

“Lord Takeru never mentioned a stone when he was writing about the Fountainhead Palace. I’m worried we are sending Wolf on a dangerous diversion.”

“Takeru was already there; he may have had the stone already, and I doubt you would need a lot of it. And we have the note Wolf found in the dungeon. Getting the flower, though-” Mizuho was cut off by a sudden bellow of rage from Genichiro’s quarters. Both children startled, and looked to each other for a moment; Genichiro’s suddenly loud, almost running footsteps prompted Kuro to jump up.

“These are his books! If he finds out I took them-”

“Under here!” Mizuho held up the sleeping pallet she tended to sit on. Kuro shoved every book he had stolen from Genichiro’s rooms under it and both sat down again, looking at the door just as Genichiro knocked, once, opened, and strode inside before either could invite him.

“Lord Kuro where is your shinobi.” The Ashina lord was upset enough his hands were twitching slightly and he was breathing hard. Kuro tried to ignore that he was wearing totally normal clothing except for his _kabuto_; you could see some of his hair sticking out at strange angles underneath it.

“Wolf is not in the castle currently, Lord Genichiro. He is assisting me and expressed plans to explore the reservoir area today when I talked with him, about an hour ago.”

“The reservoir.” Genichiro turned and strode out as suddenly as he had arrived. The retainer following him mouthed “sorry!” at Kuro and Mizuho before following his angry lord, presumably to stalk around the reservoir area. Kuro let out a sigh of relief.

“If Wolf did something else I do not blame him. Lord Genichiro does not realize he’s still unstable from the sediment.”

“Have you noticed that Wolf has been more careful with his left arm recently? What is left of it must hurt.” Mizuho had remained sitting on top of the stolen books. Kuro grimaced; he had been thinking that they would need to copy out what was important in the books and return them to Genichiro’s room soon or risk him finding out a vassal had stolen them; he had not been thinking about his retainer’s health, and berated himself silently for failing to pay attention.

“I had not noticed. I’ll ask him, when he returns.”

It had taken over a week before Genichiro was out and about again, several patches of hair still standing on end despite tying his hair back. No word was ever said about the meat-filled gourd Wolf had eventually admitted to Kuro that he had left in Genichiro’s rooms, but he was angrier than he had a right to be from just his hair issue. He had seemingly abandoned his quest to be overly friendly towards Kuro and Mizuho in favor of being exactly as antagonistic as he could get away with towards Wolf; he rightfully suspected the shinobi as having caused his hair issues and as having left the gourd.

Wolf spent most of the time underneath Ashina, exploring the seemingly endless tunnels and caverns before he found a route out to a mist covered forest that not even Isshin had known was present under the country. His arm ached in the cold, though; every time, the sensation was that he had unknowingly stuck his arm in a roaring fire.

The Sculptor, in a rare show of friendliness, had told him every time he had arrived at the temple for the past two days to go talk to Emma about it. Kuro and Mizuho had taken up the chorus after he returned briefly to update them on his findings; confusingly, Kuro had sounded almost guilty when he was asking if Wolf’s arm hurt, and frowned when Wolf deflected the question.

Wolf had remained resistant about asking Emma, even after he was almost skewered by a headless corpse hiding in the trees in the hidden forest. He had forgotten for a moment and had thought the limb had actually lit on fire as he went to unfold the lilac umbrella that would protect against it, and only his training from Owl had made him finish the movement to block the creature’s sword in time.

He had returned from that specific trip to find Genichiro had resumed his daily pestering of Lord Kuro; He had apparently almost found the books Kuro had stolen from his room and hadn’t had a chance to replace yet, which would have been a serious issue. Kuro may have been a lord in his own right, but he was subservient to the Ashina clan and being caught stealing from one of them would have been treated harshly. He could talk to Emma at any point, Wolf told himself; returning to find his lord could have been imprisoned again was a bigger issue than his arm pain.

Now he was hidden on the roof above Genichiro’s window, listening for a retainer to come get him for the day. He was rewarded for his caution when the man opened his window quickly, half pulling himself out, judging by the sound. Wolf heard his breathing as the lord looked around the rooftop before moving back inside. As Genichiro closed and relocked his window Wolf saw the flicker of movement from a Nightjar on an adjacent roof looking their way. The ninja was a floor below, and would be hard pressed to see Wolf in his hiding place, but he made this more complicated.

Soon a new retainer came to collect Genichiro, and again Wolf waited until no sound came from the room before he began looking for a way in. He couldn’t climb down and enter through the window, not with the Nightjar nearby, but the room he was outside of was directly on top of Genichiro’s. This window was really just an opening to let light into an enclosed watchtower much like the one Lord Isshin had been resting in when Wolf had first made it to the castle; it was not entirely disused, since there was little dust present, but it was empty of people or furnishings.

Wolf started to check the floor when the fire came back; he had to check his arm to make sure it was still gone, the sensation was still just in his head. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he scanned the floor until he found a section of floorboard that was slightly loose and tried to focus on teasing the old nails out with his good arm before placing the entire thing on the solid floor next to the new hole. He wished, for a moment, that he could come back when this pain had subsided, but Kuro’s punishment for stealing from Genichiro would be severe if the books were found and if he was seen his punishment would not only be worse, it would lead to punishment to Kuro as well. He had to do this now or risk the Nightjar’s curiosity about movement on this rooftop.

He lowered himself onto the series of boards that served as Genichiro’s ceiling, both glad and annoyed that the space here was shorter than he was, rather than the towering attic in other parts of the castle. He had seen cracks in one of the boards near the center of the room the first time he had broken in, and carefully scanned the inside of the room through one such gap in case Genichiro was paranoid enough to ask a soldier to guard inside.

Genichiro had not hit that stage of paranoia yet. Wolf managed to remove another board and lowered himself into the room, making note of the best angle to grapple back up when he finished. He had intended to just leave the books Kuro had taken in the bookshelves, possibly behind several other books, but with the arm pain flaring up he decided to cause an inconvenience as well. He could not replace the oil this time and he had no raw meat; he would have to get creative.

The chests lined up against the wall. He would not be able to move them around, but quietly opening several showed them to hold clothing and blankets. He ignored the smallest chest; it would not work for what he had in mind. He picked the two chests on the far right, furthest from the window, and carefully placed the top most contents on the ground. One held normal everyday clothing; the other held the fancier garments occasionally needed as a noble. Wolf pulled out the lower contents of both chests and switched them, placing the correct top most layer back and closing the chests. Minor inconveniences, but Genichiro had proven to react strongly to someone in his quarters; it mystified Wolf, who had never had a proper room or really enough actual possessions to be possessive of.

Hopefully Genichiro would spend another week too focused on someone in his rooms messing with his things again to bother Lord Kuro and Mizuho, and Wolf could continue hunting for the fragrant stone. He then rearranged both bookshelves, hiding the books stolen by Kuro behind the others, before grappling out of the room and replacing the ceiling board and the corresponding floorboard. He had checked in with Lord Kuro last night; he was free to investigate the village he had found for the next day or so and hopefully let Genichiro’s initial burst of anger run its course.

Lord Kuro looked up from his book when Wolf descended the stairs leading from the rooftop window. The corners of his mouth were twitching as he sought to hold onto a frown. “Wolf. Lord Genichiro just left. Apparently someone moved his clothing around and completely messed up his bookshelves and he believes it was you. Can you give an account of your actions yesterday?”

“I was in Mibu Village underneath Ashina, my lord. The villagers are… strange. I was able to talk with one of them. But there is little sunlight down there, and I lost track of the time.”

“Good. I will inform Lord Genichiro that you could not have been his suspect, since you were operating on my orders elsewhere.” Kuro lowered his voice; Mizuho, sitting in a different corner of the library, was covering her mouth to hide her own smile. “Every time he thinks someone broke into his room and changed something we get a few days of respite before he goes back to bothering us. Thank you! And thank you for returning the books.” Wolf nodded, before beginning his report on the village in general and the possible locations for the stone.

Wolf perched on the rooftop for a moment before pulling himself inside Lord Kuro’s room. He had covered about half of Mibu Village in his hunt for the fragrant stone, but had not found anything similar to the vague description yet, but it was almost the end of the day and he needed to check in with Kuro and Mizuho. His arm had been on fire most of the way here and he had stopped several times to adjust the prosthetic, hoping it would help, but the pain had finally started to subside. Standing on the platform inside the window, he realized Genichiro was inside and talking with Kuro and Mizuho.

“-could lend you some of my books that I finally found; I must have missed them until someone tore apart my bookshelves.” He looked towards the open window and scowled when he saw Wolf. He turned back to the children. “Think about it, please. I will come by tomorrow. Lord Kuro, Lady Mizuho.” He strode out, Jinsuke Saze following today. Wolf walked down the stairs and knelt in front of Lord Kuro; both the Divine Heir and the Divine Child had looks of exasperation on their faces.

“Wolf, thank you. He’d been here nearly half an hour.” Kuro rubbed at his eyes. “I was hinting that we had other things to do and he was not picking up on anything I said. I need to tell Lord Isshin that they are not succeeding in speeding up his recovery if he is still fixated on us.” Wolf frowned. He did not want to continue his search for the stone if Genichiro was using the time he was gone to bother the two of them, regardless if it was this apologetic version or the older pressure for Kuro to extend the Dragon’s Heritage to Genichiro. Wolf’s thoughts were derailed when Kuro continued.

“What have you found in the village so far? Do you think it is where the stone is?”

“I am almost sure of it, my lord. I’ve explored the south part of the village so far; tomorrow I can search the north half. There is a priest in the northern part; I am sure it is near him.”

“Very good, Wolf.” Mizuho nudged Kuro with an elbow; he frowned at her for a moment before his eyes widened in remembrance. “Wolf, how has your arm been? We know it’s been hurting recently, and well,” he winced slightly, like he wasn’t sure he should add this, “it was cut off.”

Wolf frowned slightly. Kuro and Mizuho both had enough on their minds without worrying about him; this was the second time they had asked. It still surprised him that Kuro especially, as a noble, seemed to actually care about him as a person and not just a shinobi. A normal master would have gotten a placation, a reassurance that he was still functional, but if they were still worried after the first time they asked they get the truth, he felt. At least part of it.

“It still hurts, occasionally, but I can manage it, my lord, Lady Mizuho. Thank you for your concern. I will be fine.” Kuro still looked concerned and slightly guilty, like the first time they had asked.

“Wolf, before you go back to the village… could you check in with Lady Emma? Please? I don’t like the idea that you’re far from anyone friendly and in pain.” If not for Owl training him to stop his thoughts from showing on his face, Wolf’s mouth would have dropped open. Nobles were not supposed to treat a hired shinobi like a normal person; that was what Owl had taught him. He caught a part of him wondering what else Owl had been wrong about.

“Of.. Of course, my lord. I’ll check in with her before I do anything risky; it is too late to call on her tonight.” Mizuho actually sighed with relief as Kuro smiled.

“Thank you Wolf. If you prefer, rather than leave tonight, we have extra pallets here; if nothing else, your presence seems to deter Lord Genichiro.” Kuro had guessed correctly that that was the magic phrase to convince Wolf to stay rather than find a sheltered corner of the roof to catch an hour or two of sleep. Wolf nodded and settled, back to the main door outside, as his lord and the Divine Child settled down to sleep.

It was the next morning, technically, but Wolf had been awake long enough to watch that new day tick over. He had promised to see Emma soon, but part of him still insisted she would laugh at him for saying his missing arm was on fire. He would keep his word to Kuro and see her before he did anything risky, but exploring a village filled with weak villagers did not seem risky enough to him. But before he continued his exploration, he needed to be sure Genichiro would not be bothering Kuro and Mizuho while he was gone.

Wolf had gone through the same route into Genichiro’s quarters, through the lookout room above. There was still a Nightjar watching the window of the room, but still from a building away and a floor down. He had also heard the newly posted guard outside, though; anticipating Genichiro doing something else to secure his quarters Wolf had brought rope with him to get out without the prosthetic giving him away.

Wolf lightly touched down on the floor and pulled out the oiled package he had assembled much earlier that morning; inside was several pounds of eel liver. Even without using his prosthetic- if the guard outside heard him, the sound was distinctive, and it would leave chips on the bookshelves- Wolf knew how to reach tall shelves and the ceiling beams easily.

He quickly hid pieces of raw eel liver around the room, mostly up high; between his short stature and the fact that Lord Kuro, at eleven, and Lady Mizuho, at twelve, were even shorter than he was, he hoped placing it up high would help deflect the rightful suspicion that was bound to come, if only because no one else had a motive to do this.

With most of it hidden up high, where Genichiro was bound to notice eventually, Wolf now knelt and hid the rest in places Genichiro would have a hard time reaching. A piece behind the heaviest chest, a dry piece squished almost flat under the armor stand’s base, some in the slight crawl space between this floor and the next, squished into a gap that the floorboards had revealed.

In a sudden flight of fancy, Wolf carefully cut along the seam of the pallate cover, slid several pieces of liver inside, and sewed it back using the small sewing kit he used for his clothing. Genichiro would be hunting down all of it for weeks, hopefully; Kuro and Mizuho would get some respite and he could continue hunting for the fragrant stone in the depths of Ashina.

Wolf had not checked in with Lord Kuro that day. He had spent most of his time combing the northern half of the village and had found where the stone probably was, but the entire field before the cave he suspected reeked of illusion magic to his trained nose; he was sure there was going to be something there putting up more of a fight than the sad villagers or even the ghostly woman. He had promised Lord Kuro he would not do anything risky before he saw Emma, and to him walking into a field that forecasted a battle as much as this one did qualified as risky.

So now he was outside the door to Emma’s operatory, rubbing at his chin distractedly as he tried to gather the courage to knock. She was inside, probably alone since Gyoubu had healed from Wolf stabbing him through the neck and chest. While he was willing to fight any person or thing that stood in the way of his lord’s goals, this was not a battle for Kuro’s sake; this was something that could end in potential relief for his pain or in laughter, and while he would not admit it to himself he was worried about the laughter because he feared the story- Wolf, the Shinobi of the Divine Heir, the shinobi who defeated Genichiro Ashina, thinks his missing arm is on fire- spreading across Ashina. He did not want to spend the rest of his time in this land with laughter following him.

He had almost convinced himself of her laughter when he tried to explain about his arm, that maybe just this once he should lie to Kuro, when he heard Genichiro’s footsteps in the distance. There was no good way to escape from this corridor and did not want to deal with Genichiro just before he found out what was causing the illusion magic in that field. He knocked, and responded with his name when Emma asked before she opened the doors. He slid inside quickly; Genichiro had been getting closer. He was not as familiar with the castle as he should have been, and he did not know what here could be drawing Genichiro’s attention. _Except for Lady Emma_, he realized with a slight sinking feeling.

“Are you hurt? Or does Lord Kuro need me?” Emma was frowning slightly as she looked at him, checking if he was obviously bleeding somewhere. _No way out_, thought Wolf, who started to shake his head before frowning and opening his mouth to explain; but then the loud footsteps had come close enough to hear in the room, and then stopped. _He_ was _coming here_ Wolf realized with an internal groan, but before even he could react Emma shoved him behind a screen and pointed at a pallet on the ground before going to open open the door again in answer to Genichiro’s greeting.

Wolf sat down quietly, resolving to make as little noise as possible for the duration of this, and then immediately winced again as the sensation his arm was on fire began. It had been two days since this happened last! Why had it waited until now?

“How is grandfather? All he will tell me is that he is better but he was saying that he was alright even as he got sick.” Oh, this was an informative visit. Wolf hoped it would be short but doubted that it would be. He focused on breathing slowly in time with Emma, who was mostly listening to Genichiro talk, while he tried to quietly massage his arm to get the burning to decrease. He wished he had been able to take the prosthetic off, but if Genichiro noticed him and got upset it would be better if Wolf was prepared.

“You haven’t seen the Shinobi of the Divine Heir recently, have you?” Wolf froze; that was not a sentence he wanted to hear. “Someone-”

“Poured out the oil you use on your hair and replaced it with something else, yes, I know, you told me. And left a gourd filled with raw meat in your room. And moved your clothing around and rearranged your bookshelves. And I heard that you found eel liver in your ceiling. You have been fairly vocal about accusing Wolf with no proof.”

“But who else-”

“Lord Kuro or the Divine Child, since you have been hounding them for weeks? One of your retainers, since I know you have been rude to several of them when they are just trying to help? Lord Isshin, trying to direct your focus away from being defeated in battle twice because you have been starting to brood about it again _and_ you have been pestering the Divine Heir like you were while he was sick? Maybe one of the Nightjar or a soldier lost a bet. Maybe it was all of them, each deciding to do something different for a different reason and maybe Wolf was part of some of it._ I_ have been tempted to do something with how irritating you have been since Lord Isshin dragged you back to Ashina. But you are so focused on the idea that Wolf alone has been breaking into your rooms when he has been out looking for items Lord Kuro needs you are blinded to any other possibilities.” Emma took a breath and there was a minute of silence. “Do you need anything else, Lord Genichiro? Then I am sure you have other duties to attend to.”

When Genichiro and his attending retainer, who had been silent for the entire visit, left Emma reappeared around the screen looking frustrated. “He has been trying to pin everything that has happened in his room on you, Master Wolf. It has been frustrating listening to him. What is wrong? I can not imagine Lord Kuro is hurt if you did not interrupt him, but when I asked about you, you started to shake your head.”

“My left arm.” No way out of this now; if she laughed at him for this, she laughed. Wolf quietly decided never to tell Emma she had been defending him against things he had absolutely done. “It’s gone, but it’s been flaring up with pain periodically since I lost it. I know how it sounds…”

“Yes. The Sculptor has the same thing. So has almost every other person missing a limb I have talked to. What does the pain feel like? Usually it’s an itching or a cramping sensation.” _She wasn’t laughing!_ Wolf felt the relief flood through him but focused on her question as he rubbed at his arm.

“Burning. The hand does not exist but it feels like I stuck it into a roaring fire.” Wolf chose to ignore the sudden look of serious concern on Emma’s face. “Sculptor said his pain is similar.”

“Yes.” Emma looked for a moment like she wanted to say something else, but bit the words back. After a moment she sighed, seemed to resign herself, and continued. “I have medicine that can help, but if it starts when you are not able to see me massaging your arm or putting something warm on it can help. If you can heat water and soak fabric in it, wrap that around the arm. For medicine, I have the same thing I make for Sculptor. The “tea” I have for him has some herbs in it-”

“No sake, please, if possible.”

“Are you sure? I know shinobi try to stay sober while you are working but the medicated version is significantly watered down.”

“I can not drink sake at all.” Wolf focused on the wall rather than catch her eye; she had not laughed, a small blessing, but the sake issue was different. Owl and Lady Butterfly had refused to believe that he couldn’t drink alcohol of any kind and had only relented after three quarters of a jar was vomited all over the floor in Owl’s quarters. He had had a rash covering his face for three days following that and had been sick enough Owl had draped him over a fence outside and cleaned the floor himself, a rarity.

“Oh. Well, I can make normal tea with the herbs needed. Everything is over here.” As Wolf stood up, Emma spun around suddenly and grabbed his ear, pulling him down the single inch separating their heights to look him directly in the eyes.

“I do know you are the one who has been breaking into his room, Master Wolf. I know he has been pestering Lord Kuro and the Divine Child, but continuing to break in after the first time is not acceptable. You should know that, you’re…” Emma faltered, suddenly realizing she did not actually know how old Wolf was. She did her best to recover, knowing it would be less than impressive. “You are an adult. So you _will_ stop tormenting Genichiro, Master Wolf. Or I will tell him that it has been you.” _Oh_, thought Wolf. He swallowed.

“Yes, Lady Emma.”

“Then I’ll say nothing else about it. The herbs I use for this are over here.”

Emma had been busy the last three days; Between treating Genichiro’s injuries from the Interior Ministry’s failed attack, treating Lord Isshin’s single injury and talking firmly to him about why he was not supposed to have gone out with the younger samurai, drugging Lord Isshin so he would stay on bed rest like he needed to until his leg healed, and making sure someone properly disposed of Owl’s body when he used the distraction of the attack to attempt to kidnap Lord Kuro, she had been stretched thin. Still, she had finally made the time to call on Lord Kuro, or more specifically, to drag Wolf to one side of Kuro’s quarters while the lord and the Divine Child talked in the library.

“Wolf, you are sure you are okay? Owl nearly gutted you. And then...”

“I am fine, Lady Emma. I did what had to be done.” He rubbed at the left arm stump under the metal of the prosthetic; she hoped the pain would subside soon, but knew that it probably would not.

“I can bring tea if your arm still hurts. I know you don’t want to leave Kuro or Mizuho right now.”

“Do not trouble yourself, Lady Emma, I know you are attending to Lord Isshin right now, too. It’s just…” he frowned for a moment. “The pain is different, now. It is not a burning sensation anymore, it feels like it is badly cramping. It will be fine. Thank you.” Emma breathed a silent sigh of relief as she left to make sure Isshin was still asleep. The defeat of a Shura without her having to cross blades with it was unexpected but welcomed; when Isshin awoke, she could inform him the Shinobi of the Divine Heir was no longer a ticking time bomb.

**Author's Note:**

> I am my own beta reader right now, so let me know if something isn't clear, I can go back and fix it up.
> 
> No Emma wouldn't say "ticking time bomb" but it gets my point across so I don't care.
> 
> Edited October 16, 2019- like two misspellings and a few missed words I glossed over proofreading apparently.


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